Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels joined executives from international auto parts maker Belletech on 9 September 2008 to announce the company“s plans to locate a new manufacturing operation in south-eas…
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels joined executives from international auto parts maker Belletech on 9 September 2008 to announce the company“s plans to locate a new manufacturing operation in south-east Indiana, creating more than 100 new jobs by 2012. The company, a supplier of plastic parts and automotive glass to Honda and other automobile manufacturers, will invest more than USD 4 million to build and equip a 40,000-square-foot (3,716 square meters) manufacturing facility in the Versailles Industrial Park located along US 421 south of the 1,700-person south-east Indiana town. “Honda“s choice to build its new North American production facility in Greensburg is creating more new opportunities in Indiana. Honda suppliers are already bringing hundreds of new jobs to great small towns like Winchester and New Castle, and now Belletech is doing the same in Versailles”, said Daniels. The company, a joint venture between AGC Flat Glass North America, Inc., PPG Securities Industries, Inc., and AGC-Takahashi Co. Ltd., will begin building the new facility later in 2008 and plans to begin hiring managers, production and administrative employees in 2009 ahead of the facility“s completion in mid 2009. Once operational, the company will supply automotive glass assemblies to the new Honda production facility in nearby Greensburg. “As a just-in-time, sequenced supplier to Honda Indiana, it was imperative that we have a location within an hour drive of the Indiana plant”, said Mark McIntyre, vice president of Belletech. “After consideration of several sites, both in Ohio and Indiana, Indiana became the clear choice. The favorable business climate, support from state and local governments and our positive interaction with the community made Versailles, Indiana the best choice for our new manufacturing operation”. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Belletech up to USD 770,000 in performance-based tax credits and up to USD 36,000 in training grants based on the company“s job creation plans. The state will also provide Ripley County with a grant of up to USD 120,000 to offset the cost of infrastructure improvements needed to serve the new facility. Ripley County will provide the company with property tax abatement at the request of the Ripley County Economic Development Corporation. The Lawrenceburg Economic Development Fund, managed by the city of Lawrenceburg and funded by entrance tax revenue at the Argosy Casino, will provide Belletech with a grant of up to USD 630,000. Designed to leverage gaming revenues to support economic development in southeast Indiana, the fund has committed to issuing more than USD 17.6 million in grants to economic development projects throughout the region in the past three years. “Building the region“s economy by investing in projects that expand our commercial and industrial environment is paramount with our Regional Economic Development fund”, said Lawrenceburg Mayor William Cunningham. Belletech is the third Honda supplier to locate in Indiana since the company announced its plan to site a new production facility in Greensburg. Located on a 688 hectare site along Interstate 74 in southeast Indiana, Honda“s new Civic automobile production center is expected to employ 2,000 associates.